


The Moon Festival

by Tui_and_La



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Al learning xingese, Almay - Freeform, Alphonse trip to the East, Celebrations, F/M, Journey to the East, Post-Promised Day, Xing, almei, fluff and love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tui_and_La/pseuds/Tui_and_La
Summary: Alphonse, Jerso and Zampano travel to Xing and their first stop is the Chang clan. They depend on May to learn Xingese and alkahestry before they continue their journey, but the princess has a lot more to show them about her country.





	The Moon Festival

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a fic challenge on the theme of celebrations, and I was sorted the Chinese Moon Festival, so I adapted it to Xing.

_i. Moon shaped_

The scent of baking cake and nuts decorated the little house where May lived, nestling in every corner and chasing noses curious for the delights they would have a chance to experience in a few hours. Jerso, Alphonse and Zampano followed the princess of the Chang clan to the kitchen while she told exciting stories about the dish she had chosen to make for Mid-Autumn Festival.

Al had to admit that upon arriving in Xing, he was surprised by the life she was carrying, for little had changed from what he knew about the princess. May lived alone in a comfortable but not luxurious home and worked side by side with her people. Everyone treated her like a princess and a hero who had conquered a voice for her clan before the new emperor and brought better days for them, yet May wanted nothing more for herself than what the others had. 

– The festival takes place on a full moon, so we also call it the Moon Festival. Pay close attention and you’ll see goddess Chang’e on the surface of the moon. 

– Goddess Chang? Like your clan? – asked Jerso sitting by the table.

– _Chang'e_. – she repeated, emphasizing the "e" with a sound similar to an "a". – Legend goes that we once had ten suns in the sky. They were brothers and every day one of them traveled the planet, bringing heat and energy. However, they preferred each other's company and one day decided to travel together. With that, the soil was ruined, the waters began to disappear and the animals to die. But the brothers no longer wanted to stay apart, so emperor Yao sent his most powerful archer to defeat them.

– Yao? Like Ling? – it was Al's turn to interrupt.

– Exactly! – May replied, heading for the oven to check the small lunar cakes, round and stuffed with a paste rich in spices.

– I wonder how the emperor of Xing is celebrating the Moon Festival. – Zampano asked, peering anxiously at May’s exquisite dish.

– Certainly with a party even larger than this one. – Jerso commented.

– Undoubtedly, it's an important celebration to all of us.

– But, please, continue the story of the goddess Chang'e, May.

– Hou Yi, the archer, was married to Chang'e. He killed nine of the suns, forcing the last one to follow its routine alone. This left their father, Emperor Di Jun, furious, so Hou Yi asked the Queen Mother immortality for himself and his wife. She granted him two doses of elixir for helping Earth and restoring life and fertility, but there was one problem: his apprentice saw when Hou Yi gave the elixir for Chang'e to hide, and decided to approach her alone to steal immortality for himself.

– They should have taken it at once. – Zampano pointed it out what he considered plot hole.

– Yes, but Hou Yi liked his life as it was and only wanted it for an emergency. Without being able to defend herself, Chang'e drank all the elixir, which was a big mistake. It was for two, and whoever consumed all of it would become a god. Hou Yi arrived in time to see her beloved rising to the skies to inhabit the moon. Desolate, Hou Yi had to live the rest of his days alone, staring at the image of Chang'e on the surface of the moon. He turned her into a symbol of his struggle to bring prosperity to his people, and offered her a feast with her favorite food.

 

_ii. Common sense_

The sky embraced them in its dark blue cloak and Alphonse waited with the lanterns as May, Jerso and Zampano collected the cookies they would bring to the party. Leaning over the window of the living room, Al struggled to see the outline of a woman in a long dress on the round satellite. He did not want to disappoint May, but he'd decided it was best to let her show him than to lie about what he could see.

The girl's light and hurried footsteps vibrated the floor toward him, and the Amestrian turned his head toward the hallway.

– I’ll carry the lanterns with you, they're on their way. – she announced entering the room.

May wore purple and blue, and had Xiao-mei lodged on her shoulder. It was the first time the boy had seen her wear her hair in a single bun, with only two braids running down her back.

When Al wrote to May to inform his itinerary and the time they would spend with her clan, she made him promise to stay until the Moon Festival. As she didn’t give much explanation, he understood that the princess wanted it to be a surprise. Now, the more he saw and heard, the more Alphonse realized the importance of the party to the Changs. The clan was once among the poorest of Xing, withering away, but with Ling’s promised assistance – who gave them the peripheral land for cultivation – this was their first year of great prosperity in a long time. The first year they had much more to thank than to ask for on the festival. 

– I was here observing the sky. – he said as May approached. – I'm not sure if I can see the goddess Chang'e, although I think I can see the skirt of her dress in that ... – Al tried to raise his arm to point at the window, but was prevented by May.

– Mr. Alphonse, do not point to the moon! – the girl shouted in astonishment, holding his hand in the air, and Xiao-mei shook her head in disappointment.

– Oh, sorry, is anything bad gonna happen? – Al asked nervously.

– Who knows! But I think I stopped you in time, why would you do that? – May's expression of disbelief was replaced by heroically arched eyebrows. – Luckily, I was here.

– Yes, thank you very much for letting me know.

If his brother was there, he would say that that was a huge nonsense and would point to the moon only for the pleasure of defying superstitions. But for Al that was the best part of immersing himself in a different culture: the surprises of little gestures, as well as the replacement of an instant of worry by the relief of having escaped a wave of bad luck.

 

_iii. Reflections the night brings._

The party took place everywhere, and all the doors were open turning the village into one single home, with large outdoor tables, lanterns scattered on the floor and music splashed in the air.

The group of tourists was finally delighting themselves with the lunar cakes. The delicacy had a thin crust and a perfect note of sweetness, but also a heavy filling that challenged them to eat anything else offered on the banquet. Jerso and Zampano looked ready for any food they could place their eyes on while Al drank his tea and began to calculate the space available in his stomach when May invited them to join a conversation.

Sitting on the floor with colorful lanterns around, the group admired the moon and shared their detailed impressions of it. The cold breeze of fall dissipated in the warmth of that gathering. One by one, Alphonse was attentive to everything they said in search of recognizable words, while May added precise translation at the end of each comment. Then, the ancient lady extended her palm invitingly towards the blond boy. 

– Mr. Alphonse, it's your turn. – the princess informed, seeing that he was caught off guard.

– May, but I'm not good enough with descriptions yet, I won’t know what to say.

– Don’t worry, just talk and I’ll translate. – she encouraged him. – The important thing is to participate. So how does the moon make you feel?

Alphonse rested his hands on the grass and looked up. He allowed himself to be enveloped in the night, mesmerized by the golden glow emanating from the full moon, and soon found a place that was familiar to him, although the opposite of the present moment.

– For a few years, the night was a constant reminder of how dark life was. I was empty and sleep didn’t come, so I watched the moon either from the window or on outdoor walks, so often that I would get tired of the skies. I didn’t know that goddess Chang'e was there with me, so I couldn’t feel less lonely while everyone slept. – the boy spoke slowly without taking his eyes off his object of study, and heard as May repeated his words in Xingese. – I knew I was surrounded by life, but I could’t feel it as my footsteps touched the grass and the cats felt my touch. As unreachable as the moon. But today, here with you, the night has never been so alive, and the moon has never been so close. It’s gained flavor and texture reflected in our meal, and thanks to you, I can now associate the moon with hospitality, tenderness and festivity. Thank you.

Still distracted, the boy waited for the last words of the princess, but was surprised by a sob in her voice.

– May, you're crying!

– Mr. Alphonse, that was so beautiful. – She covered her face with her hands and Xiao May buried her nose in her shoulder.

She was not the only one. Around him, the other Xinguese seemed touched by his story, and Al saw Jerso and Zampano discreetly wiping their eyes.

– Thank you for sharing the wisdom of your experience, my dear. – Al was able to comprehend the old woman's words, who smiled at him. – You made our night more special.

 

_iv. What the tongue has yet to learn_

A couple of miles away from May's house, the strange quartet formed by a tiny girl with her little panda and three tall guys watched the street theater perform the story of Chang’e. Alphonse noticed that the dialogue was scarce but too flourished for their comprehension, so he was glad to have learned the story earlier and dismiss translation now. May’s Xingese lessons had focused on communication and efficiency instead of poetry, and the four of them built together a small dictionary of technical terms that could be important in their research. For their journey, that would be enough. 

The play was visually rich like everything else in that night, but the tourists were yet to be surprised by a parade. Dancing dragons invaded the streets along with more lanterns in various formats. Colored birds flew around them as they advanced and the lake multiplied the lights of swimming fishes. Looking down the mountainous terrain, Al could see the pastures and plantations that brightened the days of the Chang clan. 

Jerso and Zampano abandoned the parade to visit yet another table, while May and Alphonse promised to join them later. Not long after they left, May was spotted by a girl in red dress who Al believed to be her cousin. She took the princess by the arm and talked in her ear, then shot a giggling look at the Amestrian boy. May shouted her an annoyed "take care of your life!" in their mother language and she left grinning. 

Al was invaded by self-awareness. He always felt comfortable and happy in Xingese attire, but wearing it wasn’t enough to make him belong. Did he look ridiculous trying to fit in with his blond hair and blue eyes and taller stature? 

– So what did she say?

– Err, it wasn’t anything important. – the princess waved her hands in an attempt to shove off the question, a gesture mimicked by Xiao-mei.

– May! How will I learn Xingese if you don’t teach me? She looked at me, I know she was talking about me. Was it anything bad?

– It was nothing like that! I'm sure she was not looking at you. She just said that the Moon Festival is also a time to try your luck in love ... You know, it’s a time of prosperity, so for some people it’s a time to plan life and find a pair. 

– Oh, really? – it was all he could say as he acknowledged the real meaning of the girl’s comment.

– See? I said it was no big deal! Look, if you stayed longer, I could teach you more Xingese, so do not complain to me. 

– I'm sorry, May. But I'm not on this journey alone. Jerso and Zampano, we have so much to do. Besides, I need to be there when my brother returns, to discuss what we learned on our first trip.

– Yes. I know you have to go. – she smiled, but it did not look as lively as her other smiles. – Tomorrow morning ... And that this is not the best route on your way back to Amestris.

– I don’t want to be unfair to you. I cannot ask you to wait for me without knowing when I'll be back ...

– What are you talking about?

The parade had come to an end and people around them were getting disperse. The two of them had to walk to the nearest tree to escape from the chaotic crowd. 

– I’m saying that I like you, May. I like you so much, but I see how you belong in this place. How you fought for Xing, to enjoy with your people the life you have today. And I, I have to go back to my home, so I can’t just kiss you and ask you to compromise ...

– Kiss? – her eyes glittered at that word, stealing from him a line of thought.

– Did I say kiss?

Al felt his cheeks burn, but he could not quite understand why shame invaded his confession. What he felt for May made him happy, and he was under the impression she shared the same feeling.

– Alphonse. – she used only his name for the first time, abandoning formal treatments like he’d asked of her many times in the past. – I waited two years to see you again. And I can wait two more to kiss you again if so needed. Two, not four. – She put her hands on his shoulders and locked her lips on his, tenderly and discreetly, not letting herself be noticed in the crowd. 

Al grinned, and Xiao-mei jumped to his neck giving the boy her version of a kiss on the chin.

– So you do wanna date me?

– Of course, yes. I heard you're an excellent fighter, not very temperamental, and a gentleman.

– I'll be back. – Al promised, holding her hands. – As soon as I can.

– Or I'll go visit you. Who said I don’t feel like traveling as well?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I honored the festival, and that you guys enjoyed. :)


End file.
